SDSU Daily Aztec covers Tiger Army live in San Diego!
In a dark, crowded venue in Ventura, a crowd of punks, psychos, greasers, goths and every other misfit imaginable chant in unison as they gather to witness Tiger Army perform live on stage. The crowd reaches a fevered pitch when drummer James Meza comes out, followed by Jeff Roffredo on stand-up bass, and then finally - the heart and soul of the band - lead guitarist and vocalist Nick 13.
This performance marked the beginning of Tiger Army's Dark Romance tour, which promotes the band's most recent album, III: Ghost Tigers Rise. The band's sound is best described as a product of psychobilly, a combination of 1950s-style rockabilly and punk rock, which crossed over from Europe into the American underground music scene. More specifically, American psychobilly is an altered version of the European sound fused with American musical influences.
What distinguishes Tiger Army from many other bands out there today is its distinct sound. Nick 13's hauntingly powerful voice and the lingering urgency of his guitar are a perfect fit with the commanding force of the stand-up base and the punk aggressiveness of the drums. The music this band creates has beauty and depth, while still preserving that punk fierceness we've all come to know and love.
Veterans of the music industry, Tiger Army first performed in 1996. After producing several demos, the band was picked up by Rancid frontman and Hellcat Records co-founder Tim Armstrong. Since then, Tiger Army has faced many hardships, including several changes in lineup and a shooting that wounded the band's former drummer Fred Hell.
Since the release of III: Ghost Tigers Rise, the band's music has cooled a bit to a slower pace and more subtle sound, with the punk belligerence of its second album, II: Power of Moonlight taking a backseat to a more understated psychobilly.
"This album is more similar to the first than to the second," Nick 13 said. With the song "Rose of the Devil's Garden," Nick 13 said the band was able to go to a whole other place. The song is unlike anything this band has ever recorded, and provides the basis for its appeal.
The content of the songs conveys themes of anger, betrayal, death and love, with the occasional vampire thrown in the mix as well. In some of the songs, however, the exact meaning is unclear.
"The meaning is on several different levels. It means something in a literal sense ... but people take different things from them," Nick 13 said. The song "Through the Darkness" was written for one of his icons, the late guitar prodigy Johnny Ramone.
"He died right around when the album was released," he said. "His guitar style has really inspired me."
Tiger Army's blend of psychobilly sound with its characteristic nocturnal presence coalesce to create something heartbreakingly beautiful, but also aggressive and riotous. In the band's song "Sea of Fire" Nick 13 sings, "Pleasure and destruction / are they both the same?" Indeed they are, and after enduring hardships that would have finished a lesser group, this band has truly earned its self-proclaimed insignia, "Tiger Army never die!"
The Daily Aztec - Tempo
By Kellie Burns, Contributor
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